


Always Gold

by Thelittlescrimshaw



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Drift Compatible AU, F/M, Jaeger Pilots, Kaiju, Pacific Rim AU, the au nobody asked for
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-04-16 02:20:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14154567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thelittlescrimshaw/pseuds/Thelittlescrimshaw
Summary: When Rey joined the Jaeger Program, she thought she knew what she was bargaining for: a roof over her head in exchange for a grueling engineering job and the constant pressure of saving the world from Kaiju.What she didn't bargain for was Kylo Ren - or being Drift compatible with him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> AKA "The Kaiju AU That Nobody Asked For."
> 
> This is slightly less high-stakes than the movies, so (some) of the Skywalker Family Hostility(TM) has been toned down a notch (or ten.)

The base took up a monstrous amount of space on the peninsula, but it was the Shatterdome itself that marred the otherwise picturesque coastline. From his vantage point on the helipad, Kyo could see the surrounding forests of the Pacific Northwest, all lush and green. He remembered a comment his father had made nearly a decade earlier, about how the Kaiju made Bigfoot look like a teddy bear…

Kylo shoved the memory away and, at the prompting of a nervous-looking cadet, entered the base. “Ezra Bridger,” he said, handing Kylo another duffle bag. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Captain Solo. That has your key, and your uniform, and -”

“I know how this works, kid,” Kylo said gruffly, shrugging the bag onto his shoulder. “And I go by Kylo Ren now.” The cadet blinked in surprise, but recovered quickly. “The Director told me to take you straight to the med ward for a physical.” 

Kylo nodded his assent, and followed him. 

He’d been gone a little over five years, but the base hadn’t changed much: a fresh coat of gray paint covered the walls and the tile floors looked new but the ever-present threat of death still loomed over it like a thundercloud. 

The cadet chattered on about inane things - the weather, his sister, the last Kaiju attack- before dropping him off for his physical. 

“I can wait here,” the cadet said. “To take you to your quarters -”

“I know where my rooms are, kid.” Kylo said. “Thanks.”

He wasn’t sure if the cadet looked downtrodden or grateful at the abrupt dismissal. 

Kylo stripped, shrugged into the paper gown, and sat on the examination table and tried to look less bored than he felt. His condition hadn’t changed any - really, he probably only needed a tetanus booster - but he understood the program’s caution. Anyone in less than peak physical condition who tried to pilot a Jaeger was signing their death warrant.

The doctor entered and introduced himself as Dr. Canady. There was a moment of forced small talk - “How are you” and “the weather here is awful, isn’t it” before he sat down and pulled up Kylo’s chart. “Any current medications?”

“No.” 

“Allergies?”

“No.”

And so it went on - medical history was the easy part; all but the past five years would’ve been documented in detail. 

“Sexually active?”

Kylo almost laughed at that. As if he’d had the time or inclination. “No.”

“Any chronic ailments?” 

Kylo’s gut lurched, but he said, “Right shoulder. After I broke it. Nerve got pinched.” 

“When does it ail you?”

“Only sometimes now. I was in PT for a year.” 

The doctor nodded and typed his notes. “You’re due for a tetanus booster, a flu shot, and a meningitis booster -” more than Kylo had bargained for, but not that bad. 

And so it went: height, weight, blood pressure, a peek into his eyes and nose, a test for scoliosis, a blood draw. Part of Kylo was surprised that he only saw the doctor - no nurses, no phlebotomist.  _ The Program must be really hurting for money. _

He was dismissed with a, “If anything comes up in the bloodwork, we’ll call you in.” 

The doctor left; Kylo dressed himself and retreated to his rooms. He felt like a ghost walking through the hallways at this hour, when most of the base had already eaten dinner and was either asleep or in the rec room…

His room was in the same hallway as the other pilots’; he mercifully didn’t run into anybody on his way in. He punched in his birthday - 0629 - on the pad and stepped inside. 

The room itself was typical for the Shatterdome: simple but comfortable, with a window that overlooked the outside of the base and the forests beyond. There was a single bed, with a frame that could support a top bunk if necessary. A dresser, a nightstand, a desk, and a door that led to a bathroom. The bathroom itself was small - shower, toilet, sink - and connected his room and the room next to his. For the most part it looked empty.  _ Good. _ Kylo was in no mood to share space. 

He set the Program-issued bag on his bed, and unpacked his personal duffle bag - it was laughable, really, that his entire life could fit into it- and then decided to wash up. He opened the mirror cabinet, where - just as there’d been when he’d lived here years ago - there were three-blade drugstore razors resting on the shelf, along with off-brand shaving cream. 

Shaving was comforting and unsettling all at once: it reminded him of the simpler days he’d spent years trying to forget, reminded him of a routine, reminded him of his father. 

The stubble on his chin made him look older; once it was gone, he looked twenty-two again. 

He scowled at his reflection, and avoided looking into the mirror as he took a shower and got ready for the next day. 

His sleep was fitful, haunted by memories of a man who didn’t exist anymore. 

* * *

His mother knocked on his door at a godforsaken hour. Kylo had just woken up - had called out a hoarse, “One minute!” to whoever had been knocking - and had hastily dressed himself in the dark blue fatigues and a black t-shirt before opening his door.

Leia had aged over the years; her hair had streaks of gray and her face was etched with worry lines. Her eyes -  _ his eyes - _ were still bright and fiery. She was the director of the program now - no longer General Organa-Solo, not after the government pulled their funding and threw their support into a wall instead. Idly, he wondered how the Program was being funded.  _ Who _ was funding it. His mother wouldn’t have tracked him down if she hadn’t been truly desperate, but there had to be some funds, somewhere...

Kylo wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but his mother surprised him by linking her arm in his and steering him towards a private breakfast, chattering about the weather and the Jaegers and the new recruits as if he hadn’t disappeared for seven years. 

She sat him down in front of a table piled high with eggs, bacon, toast, and fruit. “Eat up,” she said, eyeing him up and down.  “You’ll need your strength. They’ll be testing you today. There’s eleven recruits - you’ll be sparring with them all.” 

He grunted in response and, to humor her, picked up a piece of toast and took a sip of the mug of coffee in front of him. Then, figuring with a pang of guilt that his mother deserved more than that, he said, “It’s not like I sat on my ass for the past five years years. I can still fight. A Jaeger is only as good as its pilot, right?” It had been one of his father’s favorite mantras.  

She clicked her tongue and changed the subject. “Poe is still on base. Have you seen him yet?” 

“Dameron? Didn’t know he was still here.” Then again, it made sense that the orphan pilot would be a lifer. “Finally found somebody he can drift with?” 

Leia nodded. “Finn. Excellent pilot. Found us a few years back.” 

“Any headway on solo-pilot technology?” 

His mother very deliberately took a sip of her coffee before replying; Kylo almost immediately regretted his words. He’d been genuinely curious and didn’t feel like rehashing their old argument. “The science,” she said, “hasn’t developed it yet.” 

Kylo took a bite of his toast and forced himself to swallow, even as a knot formed in his gut at the thought of Drifting. But...he’d at least try and see if any of the recruits were compatible. He owed his mother that much. 

Leia reached over the table and put her hand over his; Kylo hadn’t even realized that he’d formed a fist around his fork. “It wasn’t your fault,” she murmured. Kylo kept his gaze on their hands until she gave his a squeeze. When he looked up, her eyes were glassy. “I wouldn’t ask if this of you if I thought you couldn’t do it. We need you, Ben.” 

At the sound of his name - his old name - Kylo Ren retracted his hand. He gave his mother a solemn nod. “We’ll see.”

* * *

Rey woke up at her usual time - the asscrack of dawn - and followed her morning routine: workout with the cadets, shower, breakfast, a review of her notes, and then the lab. She was one of the better junior engineers- the rumor was that she was due for a promotion next quarter - and the  _ Millenium Falcon _ was due for final inspection today.

She was one of the younger engineers on base; she’d enrolled into the Jaeger program her junior year of high school and had taken the accelerated degree path, and now boasted the equivalent of a graduate degree in engineering at twenty. The past two years had been filled with sleepless nights and pages of equations, but anything had been better than another year living with Unkar Plutt. 

And - if she was honest with herself - part of her was fascinated with the Kaiju, the monsters from the deep that terrorized the coast. She’d been relatively safe from them, living in landlocked Arizona, but she couldn’t help the sick excitement she felt every time the news reported another attack. Part of her wanted to pilot a Jaeger one day, once she was old enough to Drift. God knows she knew enough about the machines. 

Most of Rey’s work was in the Shatterdome; she’d been put on the team that was responsible for fixing the  _ Millenium Falcon, _ a Mark-3 Jaeger that had been little more than a piece of junk when they’d gotten it six months ago. 

“Hey!” 

Rey turned at the familiar voice, a smile spreading over her face. Finn jogged towards her from across the hall. “Hear the news?”

Unlike her, Finn was a morning person; his energy was infectious. “What news?”

“Captain Solo is coming back today.”

Rey frowned. She’d heard the stories of the legendary pilot, but… “Didn’t Han die a few years back?”

Finn shook his head. “His son. Ben.” Her friend grinned. “Hopefully he likes what you did to his old Jaeger.” 

_ If he doesn’t, _ Rey decided privately,  _ I’ll kick his ass. _ To Finn, she said, “He can’t do much about it. She’s finished.” 

Finn let out a low whistle. “Look at you, barely twenty and building Jaegers.” 

“Refurbishing  _ a _ Jaeger,” Rey corrected, but she couldn’t help but smile at the praise. “And - between you and me - one that’s not much better than a hunk of junk. We should’ve built another Mark-5. But I get why everyone wanted to fix the  _ Falcon _ now - Han was Leia’s husband, right?” 

“Yeah, but the  _ Falcon _ was one of a kind. Its damage output hasn’t been surpassed..” 

_ Tell that to Han, _ Rey thought sourly. “A Kaiju ripped through her hull easily enough.  _ BB-8 _ has better armor without sacrificing speed.  _ And _ the shoulder cannons.. Besides - she’s analogue. The nuclear reactor poses a risk to cancer and it’s less energy efficient - I really don’t get it.”

“Self-destruct,” he said simply. “A nuclear burnout proves a better last resort than an electrical one. Trust me, after what happened to Han and Ben, Leia wouldn’t want her fixed unless she thought it was a good move.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Do you know if there’s any plans to make more Jaegers?” 

“You’d know better than I would,” Finn said. “Right now we’re trying to find recruits who can handle the Drift.  _ Nemesis _ still need pilots. But…”

“But?” Rey prompted. 

“ _ But _ I can’t see why Leia wouldn’t prioritize more Jaegers if the recruits can handle it - speaking of, I’m training them today. Gotta go. I’ll see you at dinner?”

“Yeah,” Rey told him with a wave.  _ I wonder... _ designing a Jaeger - a shiny, new,  _ Mark-5 _ Jaeger...now  _ that _ was an opportunity...

“Head out of the clouds, girl,” said Chewie, a gruff bear of a man, when she walked into the lab. “We gotta make her ready to drift by noon.”

“Good morning to you too,” Rey grumbled with a roll of her eyes. “And she’s ready. I made sure last night.”

Chewie gave her an approving nod. “Then I want you to tune up the interface for  _ Nemesis. _ Holdo found an issue with the code.”

Rey held back a groan, but headed to Dr. Holdo’s office, already needing another coffee as she anticipated the lines and lines of code she’d have to pour over. 

* * *

“Going to the phys exam?”

Kylo Ren blinked at the man who appeared at his shoulder.  _ Dameron. _ Still arrogant and charismatic in equal measures, it seemed. 

“Yeah,” he said. “You?”

“Just to watch. I met my co-pilot last year.” He gave Kylo a roguish grin. “It’s nice to have you back, Solo. There’s not a whole lot of competition over here without you.” 

“I’m sure,” Kylo said with narrowed eyes. He wouldn't let Dameron needle him - he was above their petty competitive streak of adolescence.  _ We’ll see how long that lasts. _ The program had had hopes that he and Dameron would be drift compatible; those hopes had been promptly shattered. 

“We’re down to four Jaegers,” Poe continued, as they approached the training arena. “Finn and I pilot the  _ BB-8 _ ; the Tico sisters have the  _ Star Fortress _ ; the  _ Nemesis _ needs pilots, and of course, the  _ Millenium - _ ”

“I get it, Dameron,” he said gruffly, quickening his pace. He remembered where the training rooms were; it was rote muscle memory that took him there. 

_ Three spaces,  _ then, if he were determined eligible. Unless they built more, but again, that question of funding...

He entered the training arena and surveyed the room. Mostly everyone was younger than him and weedy looking. He leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms. A Jaeger was only as good as its pilot, and these kids were nothing remarkable. 

The crowd of recruits stilled as the doors opened and Luke Skywalker entered the room. A beat of silence, then hushed whispers of admiration. His uncle had aged, just as his mother had: gray in his hair, lines on his face, weariness in his eyes. He walked with a slight limp now, leaning heavily on a white cane. 

He walked right on over to Kylo, and said with a smirk, “Knew you’d come back, kid.” 

Kylo felt a flash of irritation rise inside of him. He grit his teeth and almost - almost - snapped at his uncle. But Luke was clasping him on the arm and waving his words away. “It’s nice to see you.”

Kylo swallowed his irritation and said nothing. Dameron entered, followed by a man in an orange jacket.  _ Must be Finn. _ Dameron instructed the recruits to spar, lining them up on two of the blue mats in the far side of the room. 

“Anyone promising?” Kylo asked in a low tone. 

“A few,” his uncle said offhandedly. “Some more than others.” 

“You and I are compatible,” Kylo said, more to get a rise out of his uncle than anything. 

The old man snorted. “My piloting days are behind me.”

“I wish you’d given me that same courtesy.”

Luke lightly rapped Kylo’s shin with his cane.  _ “Sonuvabi-” _

“Language,” Luke said, a mischievous gleam in his eye. “Brat. I’m twice your age. And maimed from that last battle. I’m here to pass on what I know to the new recruits.” He made a sweeping gesture to the group across the room.  

Kylo narrowed his eyes. After his father’s death, Luke had been the easiest to talk to - which wasn’t saying much, because Luke had left the program five years prior to  _ that. _ Kylo Ren wondered what his mother had to say to his uncle to get him to come back.

_ Probably, _ he thought to himself,  _ exactly what she’d said to me. _

He ran a hand through his hair and pushed the thoughts away. “Whenever you’re ready to get started,” he said to Luke. 

Luke leaned on his cane. “Think we can whip the recruits into shape?” 

Kylo gave Luke a sardonic grin, then stepped forward. “All right,” he barked, and the recruits snapped to attention. “Let’s see what you’ve got. Who’s up?”


	2. Chapter 2

Rey looked up at the Jaeger - all two-hundred-seventy feet of it - and beamed. The coding errors in the interface had been fixed; the  _ Millenium Falcon _ was ready for deployment once more. The Director and her son would be stopping by today for inspection, and Chewie had told her to be there. 

“It’s your project, after all,” he’d said. “At this point, it’s more your ship than it ever was mine.”

Rey hadn’t been able to help the grin that had spread over her face. It was high praise, coming from the normally laconic man - higher still, given that he’d been part of the  _ Falcon’s _ original team.  

Rey took the elevator up to the platform - a circular bridge that was level with the Jaeger’s cockpit- where the four of them would meet to go over the new changes. The Director was already there, standing next to Chewie. 

Leia Organa-Solo, formerly General, now Director, stood a total of five-foot-one and was positively dwarfed by Chewie. She turned and beckoned Rey over. “Good morning. We’re waiting for my son to arrive - he’ll be the pilot of your Jaeger.” 

“‘Morning,” Rey said, flushing slightly at the  _ Falcon _ being called  _ her _ Jaeger - Rey didn’t think she’d ever get used to that sort of praise. “How does she look?”

“Better than she ever did,” Leia said with a smirk. She glanced up at the  _ Falcon. _ “I”ve been told that many of the innovations were your idea.” 

Before Rey could respond, the elevator beeped, and a man stepped onto the bridge. 

“You’re late,” Leia said. He grunted in reply and took a sip of his styrofoam cup of coffee. “Rey, this is B- this is my son.” 

Rey wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting from Leia’s son, but the man in front of her wasn’t it. She’d seen pictures of Han in the Director’s office: he’d had sandy brown hair and a lopsided, roguish smile. The man before her looked like his face was more comfortable scowling; he had shoulder-length, shaggy black hair. He was  _ big _ too - head and shoulders taller than her, and Rey was tall for a woman - and muscular enough that he looked like he could snap her in two if he really wanted to. When she shook his hand in greeting, his enveloped hers in its entirety. 

Seeing Kylo and Leia together, though, Rey could see the faintest family resemblance: the bright brown eyes, the shape of his mouth...even if he towered over his mother. 

“Rey,” she said. “I’m an engineer.” 

“Kylo Ren,” he said. “Pilot.” 

Rey frowned - wasn’t Leia’s son named Ben? - but before she could ask, Chewie cut in.  The head engineer clasped his hand on Ben - Kylo’s - shoulder and gave her a small wave. “Isn’t she a beaut? We completely redid the cockpit. Reinforced the hull, adjusted the shocks….” he glanced at Rey. “Am I missing something?” 

“Lined the cockpit with lead to reduce the risk of cancer,” Rey said, ticking them off her fingers. “Elbow cannons. And the swords.” 

Kylo narrowed his eyes. “Swords? For a Kaiju?” 

Rey nodded.  _ “BB-8 _ has them. Most of the  _ Falcon’s _ upgrades are modeled after the Mark-5s and concepts for Mark-6s. The swords activate faster than the cannons - they make a big difference in survival, even between different Mark-5 models.” 

“She’s ready,” Chewie said, and Rey got the sense that he was only speaking to Kylo. “Whenever you are. We can take her out for a test spin today, even.” 

There was a beat of silence, and the two men exchanged a look. Rey averted her eyes, feeling like she was intruding on something private. . 

“Yeah, well,” Kylo said. “Doesn’t look like she’ll be deployed anytime soon. None of the cadets were compatible.” 

_ “None _ of them?” Leia challenged.

Kylo crossed his arms, the muscles in his biceps straining against the sleeves of his T-shirt. “None.”

Leia pursed her lips; Chewie rolled his eyes. Rey couldn’t help but interject, “Sparring is just a test of physical compatibility, right? That can be learned. It’s really the neural link that matters.” 

“She’s not wrong,” Chewie said. 

Kylo leveled Rey with a stare. “Have you ever Drifted before?”

Rey felt her ire rising; it seemed as if Kylo enjoyed being difficult. “No,” she said tightly. “I’m twenty.”

He frowned. “What does that have to…”

“New age limit,” Leia said. “Twenty-one. Less likely to chase the rabbit.” 

_ Chase the rabbit. _ Now  _ that _ was a phrase Rey had heard - about pilots getting caught in their memories, about the Drift going wrong or the neural network short-circuiting. She didn’t understand all the neuroscience behind it - thought part of her wished she did - but she knew enough that any precaution that prevented pilots from  _ chasing the rabbit _ was a good one. 

“Well,” he said to Rey, “You can Drift regardless of compatibility. That part is true. But the Jaeger won’t work - let alone fight a Kaiju - without it. Physical compatibility is imperative when fighting a Kaiju. It’s not something that can be learned.”

_ If the Jaeger I spent the past six months of my life refurbishing doesn’t get deployed because of him, so help me god… _ Rey thought. But before she could speak, Leia said, “ _ Nemesis _ still needs a team.  Maybe we could train them on the  _ Falcon _ too.” 

“Maybe,” Kylo agreed. 

“We’ll see,” Chewie said. 

Rey remained silent. She had the strange sense that more was being left unsaid - that there were years and years of conversations being left unsaid - so she cleared her throat and said in her most professional voice, “I have a meeting with Dr. Holdo in a few. If there’s anything else you need, just let me know.” 

And with that she excused herself, all too happy to leave the tension on the bridge behind. 

* * *

The gym was packed the next morning; word had spread that the  _ Nemesis _ needed a team, and only the top cadets would be selected. Naturally, dozens of cadets had interpreted  _top cadets_ to mean  _most obnoxious gymrats,_ and were now interrupting her morning routine. 

Rey rolled her eyes. Pilots had become a cult of personality on base, admired and hailed as heroes. Jaegers were only as good as their pilots, but a Jaeger needed a strong team to command it. 

The weights, machines, and treadmills were all taken. With a sniff, Rey picked up a quarterstaff and made her way to the mats. If she couldn’t run, she could at least practice her kata. 

She took her stance in the center of the mat, breathed out sharply through her nose, and began. 

About midway through, she noticed him watching her. She forced herself to finish her kata - ending with a forward strike in Kylo's direction. 

He was slowly clapping, a sardonic smile on his face. “What?” Rey snapped, quarterstaff held in a white-knuckled grip. 

“You’re talented,” he said in an appreciative tone. “For an engineer. So why are you holding back?”

“Excuse me? _For an engineer?_ ” 

He was already taking a quarterstaff off the rack. “You heard me. You're no pilot - so why bother?”

"I like to keep in shape," she snapped. "Engineers have a physical exam to pass just like the rest of you." 

He quirked an eyebrow, as if to say,  _"If you say so."_ Rey watched in disbelief as he positioned himself in a basic stance. “Don’t hold back.” 

This wasn’t the weirdest offer to spar that she’d ever received, but it was close. “You either,” she grit. 

From there it was an intense back and forth - he struck her shoulder; she swept his legs out from underneath him. Soon it was like she could predict his movements; she anticipated his right feint and guarded her left; she knew that he favored his left side, and took advantage of that to aim for his right. 

But just as she could predict his movements, it seemed, he could predict hers. She could scarcely land a hit - when she struck, he blocked; when he advanced, she dodged. They were at a stalemate. 

She hadn’t noticed that they’d gathered an audience until someone let out a  _ whoop _ of satisfaction. She glanced over her shoulder - half the cadets and one of the Tico sisters and -  _ Luke Skywalker, _ of all people - were watching them intently. 

Her distraction cost her: Kylo Ren swept her feet out from underneath her, and she landed on her back. 

Rey glared up at him, half expecting a nasty remark or another strike for good measure. But Kylo only extended her his hand and hauled her up to her feet. To Rey's satisfaction, he was covered in sweat and breathing heavily. He might've won, but at least it'd been an even match. 

He looked at her, and said with a roguish smirk, “I think I found my copilot.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think <3

**Author's Note:**

> Please feed your local author plant with comments <3


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